Goafer Posted February 20, 2019 Posted February 20, 2019 (edited) My first payment has gone out for the gym, so tonight will hopefully be my first Muay Thai lesson. I may also do boxing, but the only class I can get to is early on a Saturday, so we'll see how that goes... Edited February 20, 2019 by Goafer 2
Fierce_LiNk Posted February 22, 2019 Author Posted February 22, 2019 On 18/02/2019 at 7:06 PM, bob said: On 18/02/2019 at 11:10 AM, Fierce_LiNk said: I wouldn't say negativity as such, but people these days are veeeeery quick to make comments if there's any degree of change. A few years back, I decided that I wanted to slim down and wondered if it was possible for me to have my abs showing in an attractive way. About 2/3rds of the way through, a few of the parents at my school said that they preferred me when I was bulkier looking as it made me look more muscular. Not the worst thing in the world to hear, but at the time it did throw me a little. There will always be some degree of negativity, whether that's packing on the muscle or slimming down, and it's usually from the uninformed crowd who don't exercise or don't keep themselves in shape. It's the same crowd who watch the Miss World contests and comment that "this one's nose is too big" or "that one has pointy elbows", etc. You're the one who has to live with the body ultimately, so make it right for you. Miss World is literally a beauty contest though. I feel like it's one of the few times it's ok to criticise someone's appearance? Fair point, probably a bad example on my part. I've ordered a weight rack, but it hasn't arrived yet. A bit tired of having these plates all over the place, so trying to be a bit more organised. 1
MindFreak Posted February 25, 2019 Posted February 25, 2019 My elbow(s) has (have) started to hurt. Last year I experienced a slight tension in the elbows' inner joint but over the past month or so it has got a lot worse and now it hurts when I tighten my hand even the slightest or twist it inwards with a strecthed arm. It's also started clicking. It's a bit weird because I haven't done much training over the past weeks - rowing once a week shouldn't do this and while I have done some pendlay rows, it isn't much. I'm suspecting that biking along with lifting my son (13 kg) might have something to do with it but can't quite see that being the case either. The pain is on the inner side of the elbow, so called golfer's elbow. I've been looking at some exercises online but may want to talk to a physician about it.
Goafer Posted March 6, 2019 Posted March 6, 2019 Had a good session at the gym today and in contrast to my first session, I don't feel like I'm going to be sore for the next week. I may even head back for the Friday session. Did proper sparring for the first time. The first guy I sparred with took it a bit too seriously, but it was good practice overall and I didn't get any lasting injuries, just a few knocks. Sparred with a lady afterwards and once I'd gotten over my ingrained reluctance to hit a woman, that went much better. During the cool down stretches at the end, I noticed there was steam coming off of me. Probably quite normal to the gym goers on here, but it felt pretty goddamn badass for a flabby newbie like myself. Think I may get my own gloves and shin guards soon. There's a boxing session before the Muay Thai session and when I put the gym's gloves on, they were already wet from the previous occupant. Could also do with getting a mouth guard as well if the overly enthusiastic partner is a sign of things to come. 2
Fierce_LiNk Posted March 10, 2019 Author Posted March 10, 2019 I've looked at the numbers that I've been lifting and it's occurred to me that the weight that I'm lifting is on par with what it was about 3 years ago, which was probably when I was also at my most physical peak, too. (e.g. when I looked physically better and felt better/fitter) I changed things up a lot since then, e.g. by going for more reps and less focused on lifting heavy, plus we've had lots of disruption due to work and moving/buying a house. Everyone is different, but what it shows to me is that my body probably reacts/performs better when I'm lifting heavier rather than going for reps. Interesting to look at. 1
MindFreak Posted March 25, 2019 Posted March 25, 2019 I've started running a lot more regularly now after quitting my gym membership, it's now a stable twice a week - once during work and once in the weekends. It's going rather fine, increasing both distance and speed a bit every time. Yesterday I ran 5.58 km in 22:51 which is actually not that bad. It's not as good as my record run 5k of 20:00 but not far off. Also trying to convince my wife that we need a squat rack at home but she's like "We don't have room for it". So that's not a no and will try again later.
Goafer Posted March 25, 2019 Posted March 25, 2019 1 hour ago, MindFreak said: Also trying to convince my wife that we need a squat rack at home but she's like "We don't have room for it". So that's not a no and will try again later. I've no idea what a squat rack is, but I have a similar thing with a punch bag. I haven't asked my girlfriend yet, but I have found myself thinking "I reckon I could fit one in the kitchen if she doesn't want one in the living room"
MindFreak Posted March 25, 2019 Posted March 25, 2019 22 minutes ago, Goafer said: I've no idea what a squat rack is, but I have a similar thing with a punch bag. I haven't asked my girlfriend yet, but I have found myself thinking "I reckon I could fit one in the kitchen if she doesn't want one in the living room" A squat rack is for putting a barbell (long bar for weights) on so that if you want to do something where the bar is on your shoulders, you don't have to carry it all the way from floor to shoulders - very useful if you have 60+ kg. Also makes it easier to take the weights off again. I'm considering this model: 3
Will Posted March 28, 2019 Posted March 28, 2019 Hit my target running distance for March ahead of schedule which I'm pleased with considering I was behind target in February. Yesterday I had to tighten my belt a notch as I've slimmed down so much over the last couple of months - feels like good progress. 2
nightwolf Posted April 1, 2019 Posted April 1, 2019 Managed 13 out of the mandatory 12 gym sessions a month in March. I want to get up to 4 sessions a week, not 3. Getting there slowly but endo kicks my ass at least 4-5 days a month now. Down to my lowest of 78.4, so 17.6kg down, just another 8.4 to go. I'm hoping within 2019. Its been slow progress, but steady, its too tempting to jump onto WW or slimming world to get the weight down quickly (for which I know I'll end up worse off eventually), argh. 2
Fierce_LiNk Posted April 1, 2019 Author Posted April 1, 2019 My left calf muscle was feeling a bit tight on Wednesday, but I didn't think too much of it. Just felt heavier than normal and I put that down to tiredness. I had to cover somebody's dinner duty at school and that meant that I had to supervise a loooad of kids on the sports fields. I normally play a little bit of football with them, so I thought that I'd do that again for some fun. The ball came to me on the right hand side and one of my team mates was in the box waiting for a tap-in. As soon as I swung my right foot to cross the ball into the box, my left calf muscle felt like it was being pulled in about 30 different directions at once. Not sure if I planted my foot wrong on the ground, or over-stretched it too far, but the pain was killer. To make matters worse, I have to help lead lots of sports activities on Wednesdays, but I could barely lift my leg off the ground and plant it again without feeling like shit. Had to try realllllly hard not to let out a fuckton of swear words! I spent all of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday dragging my leg around like I was some sort of mummy. Must have looked like Kevin Spacey in the Usual Suspects at times. It's feeling a bit better now, but I am trying my best to let it recover. Haven't done any cardio or leg exercises since.
nightwolf Posted April 6, 2019 Posted April 6, 2019 This rings alarm bells simply because my friend has recently partially torn his achilles tendon. He mentioned its been a similar recovery, so maybe get checked out just in case? At any rate, its another new month, the weight seems to be peeling off fast again, I'll go weeks (usually 2 or so months if I'm truly honest) where my weight will stay consistent, which is good and sustainable and then suddenly it will drop in droves. Two scales now say 77.1 and 77.6 respectively, so I've now dropped a bit more since Monday, it means I've now nearly reached 19kg weight loss (40lbs/3 stone for those who work in other measurements), I'm really happy with that as I wanted to get to 76kg (12 stone) and see how I felt. I feel getting to 70kg (11 stone) is a nice healthy range, so 7 or so more kg to go Then its time to be making some GAINZ bois. 2
EEVILMURRAY Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 Anyone got any recommendations for a weight bench? Got them feels for some nice dumbbell lifting sessions after work.
MindFreak Posted April 16, 2019 Posted April 16, 2019 (edited) My wife saw some of her friends having a water rowing machine (like the one in House of Cards) in their house and now thinks it's something we may be able to get as well. I'm not saying no but I'd prefer a Concept2 as that's what I'm used to. The water rowers are supposed to be quite different to those. And they are even more expensive. Edited April 16, 2019 by MindFreak 1
Fierce_LiNk Posted May 5, 2019 Author Posted May 5, 2019 On 06/04/2019 at 11:47 AM, nightwolf said: This rings alarm bells simply because my friend has recently partially torn his achilles tendon. He mentioned its been a similar recovery, so maybe get checked out just in case? At any rate, its another new month, the weight seems to be peeling off fast again, I'll go weeks (usually 2 or so months if I'm truly honest) where my weight will stay consistent, which is good and sustainable and then suddenly it will drop in droves. Two scales now say 77.1 and 77.6 respectively, so I've now dropped a bit more since Monday, it means I've now nearly reached 19kg weight loss (40lbs/3 stone for those who work in other measurements), I'm really happy with that as I wanted to get to 76kg (12 stone) and see how I felt. I feel getting to 70kg (11 stone) is a nice healthy range, so 7 or so more kg to go Then its time to be making some GAINZ bois. Cheers for the concern! It's healed over pretty well, but I don't think it's quite there yet. I can exercise and train legs absolutely fine, but it is slightly more noticeable when I tense that calf muscle compared to the other one. Guess it may need a bit more time! 1
MindFreak Posted May 12, 2019 Posted May 12, 2019 So we went ahead and bought that water rowing machine. It's no Concept 2 but it actually works pretty well - haven't had a workout on it yet (my wife is currently using it) but I've rowed 500 m just for the feel and it is actually pretty good. It's a tad expensive but the Concept 2 is as well so it's alright. The good thing about it is that it doesn't look out of place in our bedroom and it's actually quite small when standing upright. I'll need to try it properly in order to talk more about it - stay tuned. Also got permission to buy some squat racks - the only demand is that they are small and easily stowed away when not in use. I think the ones that I showed a picture of previously might fit our closet. Once I get those, we have a nice home gym with two kettlebells (20 kg and 12 kg), a barbell (up to 60 kg), a rowing machine and a dumbbell (up to 10 kg). Along with running outside that should be enough for now.
MindFreak Posted May 23, 2019 Posted May 23, 2019 Had my first workout on the waterrower yesterday, a 4 km row (endtime 15:45 before you ask) and I'm actually really impressed with the feel of it. It was a pleasant workout (well, as pleasant as a 16 minute row can be) with only a few nitpicks - the handle is not round enough and it's straight, whereas the Concept O2's handle is rounder and angled which is more comfortable in the long run. It's hard to adjust the resistance level so it's just about finding a suitable level and sticking with it, making it harder to alter the workouts over time. Also found an issue with some sound from the fan, it may just need a little oil. Overall, I think I'm going to be happy with this purchase. It doesn't take up too much space and it's a nice way to vary working out at home. Now to just get a squat rack and then we have a fully functional gym at home. (Ish)
Beast Posted July 26, 2019 Posted July 26, 2019 Okay, I am totally bringing this thread back to life...as well as my absent-ass self. So I made the leap of actually enrolling on the course to be a Personal Trainer, Gym Instructor as well as being qualified to be a Teacher for 10 different fitness classes. It's quite tough though at the minute. There's 8 modules in total and I'm almost done with the first one. It's about the skeleton and how bones are made and stuff. I'm not even academically minded and writing essays strangely doesn't come second nature to me at all. For instance, if you ask me "what does X do?", I'll just say "It does this". I get a comment back saying "I could have elaborated on this and this and why it happens". I'm getting the hang of it now but this is why I was scared of enrolling in the first place. I'm passing so far so all is good. I just hope they don't ask me anything when it comes to the practical side of things...
Goafer Posted August 7, 2019 Posted August 7, 2019 (edited) Not entirely sure where to post this, but figured it's diet related so here is close enough. I've been putting more and more thought into going vegetarian for a while now, but never really tried properly. I've cut down on meat over the past few months, but never gave it up entirely. I've been wanting to try it partly due to the whole animals dying thing and partly because I'm hoping it'll be healthier. When doing the shopping last week, I figured I'd give it a try for a week and buy no meat. It's been both easier and harder than I expected. Easier because I don't really miss meat at all, but harder because it can be quite a challenge to figure out what's actually vegetarian and what's not (spoilers: Extra Strong Mints and Worcestershire Sauce have gelatin and fish in respectively). Things I've learnt during the week: McDonald's Vegetable Deluxe is utter shit. The sauce is nice enough, but there's not enough of it and the goujons taste like homoepathic vegetables. Almost no taste at all, with the slightest hint of generic vegetable. Stella McCartney burgers are the best I've found so far. Pizza Hut's Jackfruit is also pretty darn convincing. Only really let down by the texture, which is a bit mushy. Going vegetarian, even for a week, is a great way to break eating habits. As I now have to check packets, I don't just grab food without thinking about it. I'm not sure how long I'll keep it up or how seriously I'll take it, but I may carry on. I've not bought any meat this week either, so we'll see. I don't think I'll refuse meat if someone's cooked it for me without knowing or if there's no decent vegetarian option, but I think as long as there's a choice, I might keep it up. Going vegan can fuck right off though. And to get in there before someone else does: Edited August 7, 2019 by Goafer 1
Happenstance Posted August 8, 2019 Posted August 8, 2019 18 hours ago, Goafer said: Not entirely sure where to post this, but figured it's diet related so here is close enough. I've been putting more and more thought into going vegetarian for a while now, but never really tried properly. I've cut down on meat over the past few months, but never gave it up entirely. I've been wanting to try it partly due to the whole animals dying thing and partly because I'm hoping it'll be healthier. When doing the shopping last week, I figured I'd give it a try for a week and buy no meat. It's been both easier and harder than I expected. Easier because I don't really miss meat at all, but harder because it can be quite a challenge to figure out what's actually vegetarian and what's not (spoilers: Extra Strong Mints and Worcestershire Sauce have gelatin and fish in respectively). Things I've learnt during the week: McDonald's Vegetable Deluxe is utter shit. The sauce is nice enough, but there's not enough of it and the goujons taste like homoepathic vegetables. Almost no taste at all, with the slightest hint of generic vegetable. Stella McCartney burgers are the best I've found so far. Pizza Hut's Jackfruit is also pretty darn convincing. Only really let down by the texture, which is a bit mushy. Going vegetarian, even for a week, is a great way to break eating habits. As I now have to check packets, I don't just grab food without thinking about it. I'm not sure how long I'll keep it up or how seriously I'll take it, but I may carry on. I've not bought any meat this week either, so we'll see. I don't think I'll refuse meat if someone's cooked it for me without knowing or if there's no decent vegetarian option, but I think as long as there's a choice, I might keep it up. Going vegan can fuck right off though. And to get in there before someone else does: Just please don’t go threatening to fire bomb someone’s butchers and we should be ok. 2
Fierce_LiNk Posted August 10, 2019 Author Posted August 10, 2019 On 08/08/2019 at 12:32 AM, Goafer said: Not entirely sure where to post this, but figured it's diet related so here is close enough. I've been putting more and more thought into going vegetarian for a while now, but never really tried properly. I've cut down on meat over the past few months, but never gave it up entirely. I've been wanting to try it partly due to the whole animals dying thing and partly because I'm hoping it'll be healthier. When doing the shopping last week, I figured I'd give it a try for a week and buy no meat. It's been both easier and harder than I expected. Easier because I don't really miss meat at all, but harder because it can be quite a challenge to figure out what's actually vegetarian and what's not (spoilers: Extra Strong Mints and Worcestershire Sauce have gelatin and fish in respectively). Things I've learnt during the week: McDonald's Vegetable Deluxe is utter shit. The sauce is nice enough, but there's not enough of it and the goujons taste like homoepathic vegetables. Almost no taste at all, with the slightest hint of generic vegetable. Stella McCartney burgers are the best I've found so far. Pizza Hut's Jackfruit is also pretty darn convincing. Only really let down by the texture, which is a bit mushy. Going vegetarian, even for a week, is a great way to break eating habits. As I now have to check packets, I don't just grab food without thinking about it. I'm not sure how long I'll keep it up or how seriously I'll take it, but I may carry on. I've not bought any meat this week either, so we'll see. I don't think I'll refuse meat if someone's cooked it for me without knowing or if there's no decent vegetarian option, but I think as long as there's a choice, I might keep it up. Going vegan can fuck right off though. And to get in there before someone else does: That's pretty cool. Good going, @Goafer! I grew up in a Muslim household and so the only meat we ever ate had to be Halal meat. It's something that I've carried on with into adult life, probably mostly out of habit rather than anything else. When going out for a meal with friends, I would usually go for the vegetarian or fish option as a lot of places didn't do Halal meat. These days, I would still most likely prefer to go for the veggie option, or occasionally fish. Every time we go out for a burger, I go for the veggie option and it's been quite interesting to see how the vegetarian choices have improved considerably since I was a kid. It used to be that you only had one or two options and the quality of those options was often quite poor or inferior to what else was on the menu. The choice that there is these days is far superior and vast to what I had growing up. I would highly recommend the falafel burger if you ever go to Gourmet Burger Kitchen. My favourite all-time burger and it's just absolutely delicious. Falafel burgers in general are the absolute business. I eat a fair bit of chicken for the protein, but I rarely eat lamb or beef. I'm very interested in hearing about these synthetic meats that are in development as I think that could be a great alternate choice for the future. Even if a person doesn't go fully vegetarian 100% of the time, simply cutting down is a good thing. There's the moral aspect of animals being killed for food, but also I think society is becoming more aware of the environmental impact of having a meat-based diet. It's an interesting time that we live in. 1
Ashley Posted August 10, 2019 Posted August 10, 2019 I'm nearing 19 years as vegetarian. I'm trying to do at least one vegan meal a day lately in part because for years I've had random stomach issues which the doctors haven't been able to figure out. It's been pretty easy as the only thing that tips it out of vegetarianism is usually cheese and I can work around that. As Goafer said, it has become easier (and for what it's worth @Goafer if I'm in the mood for fast food the BK Veggie Burger is better) over the years. In exercise news I've been trying to do more of it lately. Last weekend I ran 3k on Saturday and 6k on Sunday... And have been ill since 🤔 1
MindFreak Posted August 19, 2019 Posted August 19, 2019 Finally got my squat rack yesterday and I now have a completely functional home gym (perhaps except two things: a bench and a pull-up bar). The important thing is that it can be stowed away and this is how it looks when stowed away: There is more or less a cubic meter in that space. I think that's an acceptable amount of space to use on training equipment. The rowing machine is in another place, though. That obviously doesn't fit. I haven't tried the squat rack yet but it seems fine and sturdy. It can't take more than 100 kg but I don't even have that so it's fine. Lately I've been doing more cardio than strength. Running 4-6 km twice a week and rowing 20 minutes once a week (I manage about 5.6 km in that amount of time) and then some gymnastics (push-ups, squats, etc., no weights) but I'll try to get a new routine at home with some strength a couple of times a week.
bob Posted August 22, 2019 Posted August 22, 2019 My wife has been veggie since childhood, so all the meals I cook at home have been vegetarian food years. About a month ago, I decided to join her, since 90% of my meals are already, and it was just restaurants where I ate meat.It's not been that hard, although I do cheat and eat fish every now and then. Especially in Portugal, where 80% of the menus are fish.The best burger I've had is the moving mountains burger from Hard Rock Cafe. I genuinely could not tell that it wasn't meat, it was incredible. Really delicious as well.
mrgrtt123 Posted August 23, 2019 Posted August 23, 2019 I am gaining weight from 56kilos on June I am now 59kilos. It is hard to lose weight but easy to gain one.
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